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The revolution may not be broadcast, though it may feature webbed feet and bulging eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

While rallies against the government carry on in American cities, protesters are utilizing the energy of a community costume parade. They've provided salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, as officers look on.

Blending humour and political action – a tactic experts call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a defining feature of US demonstrations in the current era, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It began after recordings of a confrontation between a protester in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. And it has since spread to rallies nationwide.

"There is much at play with that little frog costume," says an expert, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who studies creative activism.

From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to examine demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

When the character gained popularity online, it was used to convey certain emotions. Afterwards, it was deployed to express backing for a candidate, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", became an inside joke.

However Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

The frog debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to take back of his creation, he stated the character came from his time with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows the lack of control over imagery," states Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Previously, the popularity of this meme resulted in frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed in early October, when a viral moment between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland captured global attention.

The moment occurred shortly after a directive to deploy military personnel to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to assemble in large numbers at a specific location, near an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer used a chemical agent at the individual, targeting the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, saying it tasted like "something milder". But the incident became a sensation.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment overstepped authority.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber opined. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The deployment was halted by courts soon after, and troops withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the frog was now a potent protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was backordered on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Optics

What connects the two amphibian symbols – lies in the relationship between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that calls attention to your ideas without needing directly articulating them. This is the unusual prop used, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

The idea of this approach is three-fold, he says.

As activists take on a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences